Election 2011: St. Charles Voters Head to the Polls

St. Charles voters said a sense of duty drove them to the polls Tuesday. 

Jim and Barb Hilker voted at around lunchtime. They said they always vote in every election. 

"It's our duty," said Barb Hilker. "It's a privilege."

Adam Long said he had gotten so many calls from both mayoral and judicial candidates this year, they made him come out and vote. 

"(The results) could be very significant, especially if the mayor is not the mayor anymore," he said. "Who knows what could happen?"

Mary Ann Ohms, candidate for Ward 1 city council seat, sat near Memorial Hall in Blanchette Park Tuesday afternoon waving hello to voters. 

"Most of them have pretty well made up their minds going in," she said. 

Ohms planned to head home after the polls closed to watch the results. She said she was ready to get back to her normal routine. 

William Lohmar, candidate for municipal judge, said he's been campaigning since the 1970s and every year the turnout differs.  At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, about 408 people had cast a ballot at Memorial Hall. 

"Sometimes they come out early in the morning, sometimes it's in the evening," he said. "It's a nice day, but you just don't know."

All four Ward 2 candidates gathered outside , holding signs. Turnout at this location, the larger of the two polling places for Ward 2 residents, was about on par for the last election, said incumbent Larry Muench.

Around noon, about 400 people had voted at St. John UCC. In the 2007 election, a total of 792 people cast ballots in the Ward 2 race. 

Check back this evening with St. Charles Patch for the election results.